This invention relates to a docking apparatus and, more particularly, to such an apparatus for docking a portable data processing unit to transfer data to the unit.
Portable data processing units, such as hand held laptop and notebook computers are well known and their popularity has lead to the design of even smaller units, sometimes referred to as "personal communicators" or "personal digital assistants" for specialized personal uses, such as date and name organization, note recording, and so forth.
These portable units usually contain embedded software to allow them to be independently functional. However, to receive maximum benefit from these units, it is desirable to enable the unit to access additional data from a desktop computer or other external source. To this end, and according to one prior art technique, the desktop computer has been provided with an infrared transmitter for transmitting data to a small receiver located on the portable unit. According to a second technique, a serial type cable interface has been used to connect the desktop computer directly to the portable unit. However these techniques suffer from the fact that they have a relatively low bandwidth which severely limits the data transfer rate.
Also, spatial restrictions inside the housing of the portable data processing unit have resulted in the establishment of relatively small standards for data access devices for use with a portable unit. As a result, what is generally referred to as a "computer communications card" has evolved for connecting to a corresponding socket or plug inside the portable unit for enabling multiple transmission protocols to be transmitted to the unit. For example, one set of standards for these type cards has been developed by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association ("PCMCIA"). This type of memory card is often referred to as a "PCMCIA" card and is in the form of a wafer approximately the size of a credit card having a multiplicity of serial connectors provided at one end thereof for connection to external peripherals. However, even though these cards are relatively small, they still contribute to a crowded environment inside the housing of the portable unit and also suffer from the fact that they have a relatively low bandwidth, thus severely limiting the data transfer rate.
Since these relatively small data processing units usually have a display on their front, or face, another problem arises during docking of, and data transfer to, these units when the user wishes to view the display. This is due to the fact that these units, when docked in the prior art docking stations, often extend at an awkward angle to the user, making it difficult to view the unit from a comfortable position.